Ghosts of Sarjevo
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: Oleander cannot speak. She hasn't spoken since the apocalypse began. No one knows why, and its driving her crazy. Especially when she meets Daryl Dixon and the now almost famous Atlanta Group.
1. Chapter 1

_You can find this story on Wattpad too, only on there its just a collection of small oneshots while on here its a full fledged story. Only some parts of this will be M rated, a far cry from my other Walking Dead fic The Divide. If your into edgy, and I mean EDGY, go to that story. The lyrics belong to Phil Collins._

**_Come stop your crying it will be alright..._**

**_Just take my hand, hold it tight..._**

**_I will protect you from all around you..._**

**_I will be here don't you cry..._**

**_For one so small, you seem so strong..._**

**_My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm..._**

My name was Oleander, like the flower, first name lost in a sea of strife, survival and grief.

I don't know where I am right now, if I am alive or dead or stuck in that in between place, but I do know I'm in love. I'm in love with a man named Daryl Dixon; he's not much, he's a little rough around the edges and hard to handle, but I love him. I don't know where he is, I don't know if he made it out alive, I don't know if I made it out alive. There was so much smoke...I might have choked on it and he might have too, trying to save me.

But I'm not here to tell you about our maybe deaths, I'm here to tell you that there was a girl named Oleander, a child, that fell in love with a man named Daryl Dixon, a man that could have been just as nasty as his brother if he had wanted to be, but chose a better path and helped a group fight when the Pirate and the dead came knocking. I want you to know everything about my friends, my new family, and what we put each other through to test our bonds.

I want you to know about me, Oleander


	2. Chapter 2

**12/7/13:** _ I'm setting this in my own time lime seeing as I hate to stick to script dialogue. I mess things up and it drives me crazy. This story will be set five years after the priskn was attacked by the Governor the second time AND Oleander is one of those people that hasn't changed since the apocalypse, she's sort of stuck in a child like state of mind._

* * *

My name is Oleander, like the flower, first name forgotten in a sea of cknfusiln and time. I was fourteen when the apocalypse hit on October 31, 2010.

I was at choir practice when it hit, I loved to sing. I loved it more than anything, but that was stolen from me. My voice I mean. I haven't spoken since that day, the day the dead came back and over ran anything we humans built. I had that whole day planned out, I was going to spend the night with my dad in the hospital. My father had been in a coma since I was seven years old.

All I have left is mom.

Mom was a strong person, mom was a self defense coach, and she helped people use guns. She taught people howto defend themselves. Mom was always good at that, protecting me or people she cared about. She was always sl strong, and then the apocalylse hit and everything came crashing down around us.

But it didn't takeher or I all the way down. It took my voice, but not my drive. It took my mother's world, but not her spirit, not for a long time anyway...

**0000**

I remember when I hated the city.

I remember the sounds: the sirens and horns, the dings of a microwave and the barking of a dog late at night, the sound of partiers and the thump of music when I just wanted sleep. I remember getting up early for school every Monday through Friday, fighting mom so I didn't have to fave the horrors of third period Algebra, the tang of lunch food or the mocking of other students when they found a new flaw in me.

What I wouldn't give to have it all back again.

But I will never have it again, no one would, all because of the dead.

I stared ul at the sky, endlessly bored on my watch. I kept from nin until midnight and then I would wake mom for her turn. We were never swarmed with the dead, sometimes five or six at a time, but with the two of us we could handle it. Mom was gettig weaker though with each day, we weren't making it in our car. We had to find shelter, but there were so little places left nowadays. Either they were overrun with the dead or the living, and the living were the worst. I stared silently into the trees, listening to the crackled of the fire.

I wish I could talk, I wish I could sing again. It would fill the time, it would fill the loneliness I was stuck in day in and day out. I hadn't spoken in five years, I wonder if I even can anymore. It's not like I haven't tried to speak, I have so many times and all that comes out are hurts of air and silence. I want to speak, I want to sing, I want to be myself again. I have tried to keep my old self herr, I have tried so hard to remain as I was, but I can't even remember my first name. I don't remember it because all I had ever been called was Oleander. Of Of course I remembered it before the apocalypse, vaguely, because I wrote it down every week day brcause of school. Top right corner below dthe date and subject. I haven't tried to really remember it though since the world ended, I don't remember really liking my first name anyway.

I jumped when I heard a crunch in the trees, raising the gun mom had given me. I don't know how to really shoot, but her advice was simple, point and shoot. So I figured I could do it if I had to. Mom believed in me, so why shouldn't I? I flinched when I heard teigs snapping, and soon enough I heard voices, whispers of words. People...I was scared of people. I flinched again when I saw a thin figure with a wide brimmed hat fall face first put of the bushes, grunting and groaning low in their throat. I cocked my head to the right, confused, and then I saw more people coming out of the bushes. Theren't many of them, but it was enough to scare me.

I was frozen in place, scared, and then I lowered my gun and simply stared at them as they helped their group member from the ground. I wanted to say something to them, say something to my mother, but I couldn't. One of them finally noticed me, his blue eyes unusually brigh, and my stomach twisted as my brow scrunched in confusion. He held a crossbow in his hands, poncho draped over kne shoulder in the muggy night air. One man, with a black and gray speckled beard, looked to the man with bright eyes and he folloeed those eyes to me. I tensed up again, my fingers twitching around the handle of my gun.

"Oleander..." I looked over at my mother, who had her weapon raised at the strangers, her sagging grey beanie keeping her head warm but doing nothing to hide how weak she looked with sunken cheeks and hollowing eye sockets. I looked back to the strangers as my mother spoke. "Show me your weapons, all of them."

The man with the speckled beard swallowed hard and pulled a shining revolver from his belt. He held it above his head along with his empty hand and took a small step forward. "W-We're just passing through."

Mom shifted when no kne else showed their weapons, and by the look of them all from my view it seemed only the two men in front had weapons. Can't tell ya how many times we've heard that."

The man with the speckled beard chuckled a little, looking haggard. "At least we're not alone in that...we just wanted to share a fire for the night then we were leaving in the morning. Their is a larger lart of our group waiting for us near Dalaney."

Mom stared at them for a long time, silence lassing between us until I gave up and slid my gun into the back of my jeans, sliding down from the car and landing in front of the man with unnaturally bright eyes. After a moment I looked over at Mom and nodded a little. She huffed and lowered her weapon.

"Oleander no," i shook my head then nodded. She stared at me in disbelief and then nodded hrrself. "Fine...fine come kn over here, you guys look exhausted."

A colective sigh rang through the small group as they shuffled towards the fire. The man with the speckled beard spoke as he helped the boy with the wide brimmed hat settled by the fire. He was scarily thin.

"Been traveling for a week, just ran out of gas and we've been walking for two days."

Mom and I sat against the car, watching them all. I noticed the man with bright eyes was stalking around the tree line.

"Well my name is Regina, and this is my daughter Oleander."

The man with the speckled beard smiled a little. "Names Rick, this is my son Carl, and my friends Maggie, Tyreese, Beth, Bob and that man walking around is Daryl. He speaks about as much as your dauhter so don't take it as being rude."

Mom looked over at me then sighed. "My daughter can't speak."

Rick looked up in surprise. "Why not?"

Mom shrugged. "She hasn't spoken since the end of the world."

Rick smiled at us softly. "I'm sorry."

Daryl stomped over, looking at my mother itensly. "Howmany can fit in yer van?"

* * *

_Sorry its so short, I typed it up on my phone for you guys ^-^ check out my other stories, it means a lot._


	3. Chapter 3

_So I would like to do a little advertising for some stories on here, and their authors. These are really good stories, it's just no one will give them a chance for some reason. I am a co-author on two of them, so please guys go show them some love:_

_This Is As Quiet As It Gets by TehKinkehWalrus (I am a co-author, meaning I write some of the chapters)_

_White roses by (I am a co-author, meaning I have helped with the plot and direction of details and stuff like that)_

_Remember Who the Enemy Is and Surviving the Walkers by Adele the Barn Bum, not sure if her user name is just one big word or not._

_Oh and a new story called Skinny Love by FuckinPoind3xter, I think it's pretty kickass myself for a new story. Go give her some love, let her know she's doin good._

_Please go check them out, give them some love with review, follows and favorites. They need some encouragement you guys. And don't forget to check out my new stories Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Ghosts of Sarjevo, Rough Water. If you're into anime I have an Inuyasha one I just started, and if you are or even aren't into video games I have one for Fallout 3 called Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell._

* * *

"I don't know about it Rick."

I stared over at my mother, seeing her sunken eyes darting around in fear, distress. They had offered to take us in, Rick and his friends, because of my mother's appearance and my own deteriorating appearance. I leaned against one of the maple trees on the edge of our tiny clearing, watching Daryl and Maggie packing things up into the back of the van. I had stayed out of everyone's way, obviously freaking Maggie and Carl out with the fact that I couldn't speak. I didn't mean to do it, but I know they understood, they just hadn't had anyone like this ever. So they didn't know how to handle it, that was ok. I freaked out myself sometimes. It just got so quiet…

"Hey."

I looked up at Daryl, cocking my head to the right. He was the only one besides Beth, Bob and Rick that hadn't tried to ignore me or avoid me. Well, I hadn't exactly given them a warm welcome yet, so that might be a problem. After I said nothing to his stare he sighed and cocked a hip.

"You need ta get your momma to come with us, you need to get help."

I stared at him for a long time then looked over at my mother. He was right, Rick was right, we needed help. We couldn't survive on our own anymore. But how could I convince my strong willed, always independent mother to just give up like this and look to relying on others for support. If she didn't go…then I would. I wanted to interact with other people, it had been so long since I had the chance and I wasn't going to just pass it up like this. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn't just leave my mother all by herself. I would never leave my mother, so that meant I had to convince her to give these guys a chance. I looked back to Daryl and nodded, pushing away from the tree. He walked away and then I approached my wary mother and a pleading Rick. If these people were dangerous they wouldn't have given us this chance, they wouldn't have kept us alive this long. They wouldn't be going for a mute girl and her skeletal mother. They'd go for prettier people.

I touched my mother's elbow and she jerked away, then she realized it was just me and she closed her eyes, sighing in relief. "Oleander honey…I want you to go with them."

I tensed up and pulled away from her, shaking my head.

She sighed again and looked over at Rick. "Can you give us a minute?"

He nodded and smiled at me a little, which I returned half heartedly, and he walked back over to his group, talking to his son who looked like he was ready to pass out at any given moment. Mom held onto both of my shoulders, looking me dead in the eyes with a serious look on her face.

"Oleander I _need_ you to go with them, I am _telling_ you to go with them. Honestly you don't have a choice in this," I gave her the most confusing look I could and she rolled her head, dropping her arms. "I won't make the trip Oleander… Rick caught me this morning…almost choking on my own blood. I'm sick, sweet heart. Too sick to fix, Rick has medical training and he says the outlook is not good even if they could get me to their home with the other doctors and medical equipment. And I don't want you to watch me suffer like that."

What the hell was going on? Did she really think I was just going to leave her behind to do what I know she was going to do? I shook my head fiercely and crossed my arms, dropping down to the ground so I could just sit there. Mom grumbled and tried to pull me to my feet, but I flailed in her grasp and she let me go so I could sit there in defiance once again. I stuck my tongue out at her legs as she walked past me, and then grumbled mutely to myself, glaring at the trees in front of me. I would not leave her behind like this, I could never just leave her. I mean…she was my mother. She was all I had left. Dad was gone, my grandmother and grandfather were passed. It had just been me and mom for so long, I don't know how to function without her.

I jumped and looked around with wide eyes and someone's hands lifted me up from under my arm pits. I kicked and flailed my arms and legs, wishing I could scream and ask what was going on. Had Rick and his group turned on us? Where was my mother? She surely would have made some noise if anything had happened to her. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a heavy gust of air, and I was kicking again. Tears starting pricking at my vision when I saw my mother facing away from me as whoever was carrying me drug me towards where I knew the van was. I tried to scream for her, I tried to call her name, call for help, but I knew what was going on. She was forcing them to take me. She was forcing me to go with them. She was forcing me to go with them so she could end it all for herself before she got the chance to suffer.

"Mom!" it came out as a pained, low scream, as I was pulled into the can by Rick, and then squished against him as Daryl jumped in. "Mom!" I started to cry as the pain was too much for my throat.

She shook her head, her thin shoulders shaking, and she refused to look back. I tried to scramble away from Rick and Daryl as they slid the door closed, but it was too late and Maggie had already began to drive away from my mother. She never looked back, she just kept her head down as we drove through the trees, her figure becoming smaller and smaller until it was gone completely. I let out a painful sob, my fingers wrapping around my throat and squeezing in an attempt to block the pain as I cried. I closed my eyes tightly and twisted, burying my face into Daryl's chest as I let out another painful sob. I felt him stiffen under me, but soon relax. A hand came up to rub on my bag, and another on my leg, all in sympathy, and I just cried.

**0000**

**Rick**

"We'll stop here for the night…" I mumbled, checking the map in my hand as I braced my knee up against the dash.

Maggie ran a hand through her hair and rolled her head against the head rest of the driver's seat to look at me. "How much longer until we reach home Rick?"

I shook my head and then sighed, folding the map up again and tucking it into my back pocket as I slid out of the van. "Longer than I thought, four days minimum…"

Maggie sighed and slid out of the van herself, joining me at my side with a cigarette in her mouth. I refrained from frowning at her new habit. Maggie had started smoking a couple of months ago, thanks to a stray cigarette pack Daryl had left in one of the seats of the bus, and because of a reasoning I didn't need to heat to know. Glenn was the one to tell me, said she didn't even want to acknowledge what had happened.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard a deep intake of breath, and saw Daryl haphazardly hanging out of the van, Oleander holding onto him like a stuffed teddy bear. "What are we going to do with her?"

Maggie peered over her shoulder, seeing what I saw, and shrugged, looking at me. "What do you think we should do?"

"Help her speak again."

"She spoke when we…when we left her mother."

I shook my head. "From pure adrenaline and nothing else. I know it hurt her, she was practically _clawing_ at her throat. I bet she's afraid to speak now, too afraid of the pain. She needs to speak though, we have to help her. Caleb worked with cases like her, we'll get her to him as soon as possible."

"She doesn't trust us Rick."

"She trusts Daryl, and that's more than enough with her."

Maggie chuckled a little as Daryl startled awake and all but flung himself away from Oleander, treating her like a Walker more than a clingy girl. He hit the ground on his ass and she fell face first into the seat, jumping awake and looking around wildly while Bob, Maggie, I chuckled at the show. Daryl looked around at all of our laughing faces and grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. Oleander tucked a strand of air behind her ear and stretched, her shirt riding up her stomach and causing quite the distraction with Daryl. I raised an eyebrow at him but he just waved a hand at me, grabbing his crossbow from where it was between the passenger seat and the seat Oleander was now sitting in. She watched him walk away with those large, alien like eyes. They flickered to me and stayed there, her head cocking to the right.

I looked over at Maggie and she jerked her chin forward, telling me to talk to the young girl, and I inwardly groaned, but outwardly nodded and I waved her away. She nodded and placed her cigarette between her lips, tugging her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and she joined the others around our small camp fire we had built.

"Good morning Oleander, how are you feeling?"

She shrugged and rubbed her arms, looking around. She frowned and reached her right hand up and wrapped it around her throat, squeezing gently then she mutely cried out in pain. I frowned and reached up, pulling her hands away and I pressed my fingers gently against her swollen, flushed throat. It was extremely sore and hot…not good, more like infected. I stood straight and held out my hand to her. She smiled gently and took my hand, letting me help her out of the van.

"Whenever we get back…home, I'll have my friend Caleb check you out, I can't do much for you on the road."

She smiled at me gently, looking tired. I wander how it feels to not be able to talk, do you accept it, or does it bother you for the rest of your life? I don't think I could be able to never talk again. I mean, how do you communicate with the outside world? How do you get anything done? What if there's trouble, do you use sign language?

It often amazes me how I can just drone on and on about nothing inside of my own head.

* * *

_I promise you the chapters will get longer, and the next time I update there will be more than one chapter and they will be of decent size._


	4. Chapter 4

_**5:30 p.m. - 1/13/14**_

_So the story has been on hiatus for a minute, and I will tell you why. I was reorganizing the documents and everything kn my computer and seeing as it was taking so long I got distracted and fucked up, deleting the file for this I did the best I could and hope this is adequate, and sorry for the short length. It's sort of a filler._

**_Oleander_**

_Oleander can you sing for me?_

I blinked slowly, then closed my eyes tightly, opening them again to watch the flames of the fire lick at the night sky.

_Come on baby girl, sing for me._

I swallowed and pushed myself up to my feet, looking down at the people sleeping around me.

_Please? For me?_

I began stumbling around without any clear direction, starting towards the trees.

_Just a short song, you know which one I want to hear._

A tear slid down my cheek and I pushed a few stray limbs from my face as I stumbled.

_Come on sweetheart, I know you can do it._

I shook my head, picking up my pace, my steps sloppy.

_Why won't you sing for me babygirl?_

I started running, my throat constricting in pain as my breathing became ragged, dew wet leaves stinging my cheeks.

_Just one song, are you mad at me?_

I wanted to scream as someone grabbed ahold of my upper left arm, but I couldn't, and just ended up being pressed againsy a chest, my tiny fists beating against their arms and chest, but getting nowhere. I looked up throuhh tear filled eyes and saw Daryl staring down at me with a look of amusement on his face.

"What the hell are you doing out here?"

I sniffed a little and wiped my cheeks. I mouthed something, but of course he didn't understand me.

He reached up and poked my cheek, the tip of his finger coming away wet.

"You been cryin..."

I stared at him blankly for a minute, then sighed, trying to pull away from him. This was overly annoying. I wanted to be able to speak, I wanted to be able to tell him what was going on inside of my head, but I couldn't. I fucking couldn't. I had never been so frustrated in my life. I tugged my arm in his grasp, and frowned when he wouldn't let go. I looked up at him, and he wasn't looking at me, he was looking over my head. I looked over my shoulder and saw a Walker standing there, a few feet from us, arms dangling and jaw broken. I tensed up, wiggling around to hold onto Daryl's arm. He sighed and pulled me around himself so he could use both hands to put the Walker down. It gurgled as the arrow struck home, and slumped to the ground.

I swallowed thickly and reached back out, latching myself onto Daryl's arm and refusing to let go. He looked down at me with slight agitation on his face.

"Need ta get ya back to camp," he muttered, dragging me towards the Walker. He jerked the arrow out of the Walkers skull and wiped away the gore from it. "Come on."

I nodded and finally let go of him so we could walk like normal people. I wrapped my arms arpund myself and followed behind him. After a moment of walking I heard gagging and looked up, seeing Carl on his knees beside an old oak, his fingers digging into the bark as he vomited. I hurried over to his side and got onto my knees beside him, rubbing small circles on his back. I looked up at Daryl as he stood over us, seeing his finger clenching the strap of his bow.

"Why ya gotta do this boy," he muttered, eyes running over Carl.

Carl glared up his bangs before he heaved again, curling in on himself further. Daryl crouched down beside me, watching me comfort the young boy. Well, he wasn't really young, maybe around my age, give or take a year or two.

"He's makin himself puke ya know that?"

I looked over at him with wide eyes. He nodded and bounced on his heels a little before he stood straight and adjusted the strap of his bow; it looked like it was pulling tight. Hereached down and took a rough hold of Carl's upper left arm, jerking the frail boy to his feet. I stood as well, wary as Carl tried to get out of Daryl's grip, struggling, flailing, but getting about as far as I had.

"I can't do anything with ya around ya know that kid," he shook Carl roughly. "Ya need ta get yer shit together ya hear me?"

Carl glared, looking so weak. "Shut the hell up, Dixon," he spat.

Daryl's jaw set, but he didn't do anything for a long time. When he did do something he looked Carl up and down with this scrutinizing look, then he leaned in close to Carl's ear, a hate seething between his teeth, coating the words as he spoke. It gave me the chills, goosebumps spreading through me with a shiver.

"Yer the fucking reason we lost her...ya hear me? I'm sick of pussy footin around wit cha you little brat. You deserve death fer what you did, but I ain't gonna let ya off yourself, that'd be too easy."

"My life," Carl snapped. "I can do whatever I want with it."

Daryl's finger tightened around his arm. "Oh no, too easy. Gonna let God sort ya out, divine punishment and all that," he sort of whipped around and pretty much threw Carl towards the firelight of camp. "Now get yer ass back over there and sleep. You get offa that bedroll and I'll cuff ya to the van."

I didn't watch Carl walk away, I couldn't take my eyes off of Daryl. His chest heaved with anger, and those cobalt eyes darted over to me, as if he just realizaed I was there, and he grunted, walking towards camp. I stayed where I was for a long time, wandering what just happened. Daryl was dangerous...and what had Carl done that was so bad? Who were they talking about when Daryl had said it was Carl's fault she was gone? Who had they lost? Everyone had lost someone, who was so special that Carl would try to kill himself in such a way over guilt? Who was so special that Daryl would act such a way, praying for a young boys death?

I looked up at the sky, feeling so worn out,


End file.
